"The Cuban Foreign Ministry has refuted and resolutely denied the irresponsible and ungrounded reports about the alleged presence of Cuban troops in Syria," the ministry said in a brief statement. The document signed by Gerardo Peсalver Portal, director general of the Bilateral Affairs deparment of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said the allegations had been made by certain media outlets.

Some publications have recently announced that Cuban troops joined Russia, Iran and other forces in the struggle against Islamic State extremists. The Cuban Foreign Ministry had to make an official statement to this effect.

On October 15, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told journalists at a regular briefing that the United States had no confirmation that Cuba had sent its troops to Syria.

On October 16, Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said the department had no information on possible presence of the Cuban military contingent in Syria.